Sunday, 3 June 2007

How to waste money

John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, has just completed a farewell tour, at public expense.

The itinerary was;

–Sunday in Philadelphia with a speech on sustainable cities and a tour of graffiti murals.–Monday a 90 minutes trip around Baltimore harbour.–Tuesday Kingston, Jamaica for a speech on slavery–Wednesday visit to Jamaica’s botanical gardens–Thursday visit to a sugar factory before flying to Barbados.–Friday Visit to the Museum before the start of a week’s family holiday.

Travelling with Prescott were a team of 8 which included a special adviser,two private secretaries, two press officers,a speech writer and two bodyguards.The mystery surrounds the presence of the two press officers as both the Jamaican and Barbados High Commissions were told not to put out any information about the trip.Unfortunately for the taxpayer the local free accommodation at the Embassies and High Commissions was deemed not good enough for the tour and therefore five-star hotels at a cost of $315-$700 per night had to be used.